Mercury and other heavy metals can be present in many types of naturally occurring hydrocarbons such as crude oil and natural gas. The amount can range from below the analytical detection limit (0.5 μg/kg) to several thousand parts per billion by weight depending on the feed source. It is desirable to remove the trace elements of these metals from crude oils.
Historically, mercury has been determined to occur in crude oils and natural gas well into commercial production, after processes and equipment are in place to handle the production. Recognizing the need for mercury mitigation at that point often results in cost overruns, scheduling delays, and changes in scope of the work. An approach that has been suggested includes measuring the mercury content of crude oil and/or natural gas samples that are collected during the exploratory phase of, or during preparation or completion of a well in, a newly investigated production zone, and before production processes and equipment are in place. However, mercury analyses of these initial hydrocarbon samples have been found to be unreliable and often inaccurate.
An improved method for predicting the mercury content of production fluids from a newly investigated production zone is desired.